


Three Perspectives Ep.1

by 55555ive



Category: Furry (Fandom)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Bisexual Male Character, Brothers, Dating, Drugs, F/M, Family Drama, Furry, Game Shows, Gay, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, High School, M/M, Magic, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, Online Dating, Original Character(s), Other, POV Male Character, Roommates, Sex, Show Business, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 13:33:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11990850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/55555ive/pseuds/55555ive
Summary: Three interweaving stories , the relationship between two roommates , two contestants on a game show , and the conflicts between a teen aged prodigy and his family.





	1. Rod & Tio intro

It was Sunday afternoon Rod and Tio were enjoying their off days. Their shared apartment space was small and mid city. From the islands they may have been but they were city folk , after years moving around with one another one might say they became brothers of a kind. After years of living with one another, and perhaps the fact that they shared a one bedroom apartment, there was little between the two monkeys that could be categorized as secrets. But after so long there was still much for the two to learn of one another and it started with words uttered in half voice. Rod was sprawled out on the couch while Tio sat on the carpeted floor as they watched their favorite show "Lock Box".

Tio- So what your saying is 

Rob- No , I don't care that your gay 

Tio- your from the same island as me so... 

Rod- so what ? 

Tio-The same island where people who are different get banned or worse 

They grew up in a place with much hate or perhaps fear towards anything different. Anything unalike the norm was seen as evil , negative , deemed unholy. It was a religious group of village inhabited islands. Tio and Rod made the decision to leave for a better chance at living life closer to that of what most dream , and what better place to get closer to a dream than a city built on them. Tio on the other hand had more than one reason to leave.

Rod- Did you think I didn't know you were gay when I moved in with you 

Tio- I don't know , I didn't think it was something you could tell 

Rod- maybe It wasn't but after almost a year of living together I'd have to be pretty stupid not to notice all the times you stair at guys walking down the street , when you get weird when I don't wear pants , or when you

Tio- I get it 

He blushed almost nervously but it faded.

Rod- Look , I don't care who you sleep with man , just keep being the same guy I moved in with and we're good 

Their show went to commercial break and as it did Rod got up from the couch making his way to the kitchen. 

Tio- Thats ... thats good to hear, but I cant believe... 

Rod- what? That every one from that island isn't a complete bigot or homophobe 

Tio- well yea 

Rod- your from the same island and your gay , is it so hard to believe that more than one person is a little open minded 

Tio- I'm not gay because I'm open minded, it doesn't work like that 

Rod- I know that , you know what I mean man , just chill 

Tio got up from the floor before continuing the conversation he felt it wrong to continue without being in within distance . He met Rod in the kitchen as he began making some unnatural unnamed sandwich concoction. 

Rod- but what I don't understand is why are you telling me this now 

Tio- what do you mean 

Rod- you could have told me when we moved to the city together, last week when it was your birthday , Christmas, you've had plenty of time to come out to me 

Tio- its not easy coming out to people 

Rod- bull shit, its 6019 you must have told plenty of people before me 

Rod finished concocting his meal before returning to his seat on the couch. Tio followed behind him but stopped at the foot of the couch as it felt wrong to retake his seat on the floor with the conversation still going. 

Tio- no I haven't 

Rod- you must have told someone else, your 24 

Tio- we moved here 4 years ago, for 20 years I was living on an island where being gay could literally mean the end of life 

Rod was mid bite into his sandwich but the gravity of Tio's honesty halted any further eating. He set his plate down on the coffee table and muted the TV. 

Rod- I'm sorry man 

Tio- its all right 

Rod- but your saying I'm your first 

Tio- what 

Rod- first person you've told 

Tio- yes 

Rob scratched his head as he thought. 

Rod- so does that mean your into me 

Tio- what , no , why would you even 

Tio started to walk away but was stopped by a sudden grip on his tail. Rod pulled him onto the couch beside him. 

Rod- I'm kidding man , I'm kidding


	2. Lock Box intro

It was Sunday September third, the day that marked the beginning of Box Jackson's game show "Lock Box". Lock Box was originally a magic act performed by Box Jackson in the 90's. It was a simple act, he locked himself in a box for three weeks with no food or water. The box was made out of clear walls so there was no dout of Jackson being inside for three weeks straight as crowds kept eyes on his every action until the day he was released. The ceiling was made to expose Jackson to the elements, and the only luxury that he allowed himself was a hole in the ground to relieve himself. 

Today contestants from all around the world submit themselves to similar boxes as Jackson's original trick. The rules were simple stay in your box longer than everyone else and you win , leave your box before anyone else and you lose. But for the first time ever contestants would be partnered. Each box would hold two contestants each , and if both were to beat the record of three weeks in the box they would split the grand prize of 50 thousand dollars. The idea of partners was introduced by producers of the show to boost ratings. Contestants were allowed to do anything to make their partners leave the shared box as a means of winning the full prize for themselves. 

We set our eyes on box number 3 as Carl an eighteen year old rabbit and Tina a twenty two year old lioness enter their box simultaneously as the other contestants entered their own. The doors were locked and cameras were on , the show had finally begun. 

Carl- So your my partner 

Tina- It seems so 

 

The two circled one another as if to size each other up. 

Carl-Im not leaving until I win 

Tina- nether am I 

Carl- Have you ever done one of these before 

Tina- Its my first, I assume its yours as well 

Carl- yea but I've been readying myself for months now so you should just save yourself and go now

He had not readied himself for anything but he thought it necessary to make an impression of maturity and confidence.

Tina- We stay in the box we win , we leave the box we lose , seems easy enough , how exactly did you "ready yourself"

Carl- I'm not sharing my secrets with you 

He had no secrets to tell.

Carl was a child standing next to Tina and it showed as their every action was live TV for the world to see.

Tina laughed with with herself.

Tina- You don't have a choice according to the rules 

Carl-One of us has to leave before the other , and I'm sure you'll get hungry, cold ,or when you realize you have to pee in a hole you wont last a week 

Tina- we could both break the record and win together , wouldn't it be more fun to enjoy one another's company rather than fight and scheme like everyone else 

Carl- Look little Ms.Kitty I dont plan on splitting anything with anyone , your not my partner your just a road block standing between me and my money 

Again Tina couldn't help but laugh at how serious the young rabbit was taking both himself and the game show. 

Tina- Well bunny boy It looks like its going to be a long three weeks if that's the mentality you have


	3. Gerome intro

It was Sunday night , Gerome a seventeen year old rat had just put on a show to start a career. The streets of Lobo City would speak of Rat-a-Tat the magician for a long time sure after Gerome's show. But he couldn't live in his after glow for very long. It was a Sunday night and he had school in the morning which meant he needed to be home. 

After his show Gerome left his loving crowd in a puff of smoke hiding his mad dash down city streets to get back home. He climbed the side of his house to reach the window to his room on the second story. Once inside his bedroom Gerome stripped himself of his magicians costume leaving him in his underwear. He stuffed his clothes and the money he had earned for the night into a suit case and hid it under his bed. 

He felt slight relief as he was under the impression he'd gotten away with his dishonesty. He layed in his bed and closed his eyes with a much needed exhale, but he soon sucked his tensions back in as the door to his bedroom was opened from the outside. It was his mother. 

Kristina- Where have you been 

Gerome- I've been here, I was asleep 

Kristina- Don't you lie to me , your brother told me you were gone hours ago 

Gerome got to his feet as his mother stepped further into the room. He took a moment to gather courage to tell the truth.

Gerome- I had a gig down town 

Kristina- What have I told you , what has your father told you

Gerome- But mom 

Kristina- Magic is not going to put a roof over your head clothes on your back or food in your mouth, you need to get serious about your future 

Gerome- How are my dreams any less serious than Josh's 

Kristina- This isn't about your brother 

Gerome- I think it is , you let him go around believing he'll be the next football legend but I say I want to be a magician and I'm crazy 

Kristina- Have you ever heard of a scholarship for magic 

Gerome- That's not the point 

Kristina- That is the point , look around you , your father and I try to give you boys everything but we don't live in a world of hand outs

Gerome- I know that but 

Kristina- sneaking out and doing tricks for people when you know you have school in the morning is not going to help you get an education 

Gerome- Your not listening to me, I'm already making money, good money 

he tried to recover his hidden stash of money from under his bed but couldn't get it free from a wooden board keeping it stuck in place.

Kristina- How long do you think magic will last you, how long do you think people will pay to see you do tricks 

Outside Gerome's bedroom his father and brother stood in the hallway listening as it was impossible to ignore the conversation. Gerome still struggled to free his briefcase for the purpose of proving a point. 

Gerome- About as long as if not longer than the average football carer 

Kristina- I've tried to reason with you 

finally he gave up on retrieving his briefcase as it had only made him look more childish trying to free it from under his bed in his underwear.

Gerome- this is crazy , I'm making money and it makes me happy why do my dreams have to matter less 

Kristina- If you don't give up on this magic phase and focus on school then you can leave 

Gerome- Leave? 

Kristina- My children are not going to be uneducated street rats , your father and I have worked too hard for that , been through too much 

Gerome- You don't want your kids to be street rats but your willing to kick me out for following my dreams 

Kristina- Your 17 , your father and I haven't been obligated to take care of you for two years now , if you really think you can make it out there doing magic then go 

Gerome- Mom your not serious 

Kristina- You don't want to listen to me or your father , you don't want to go to school, fine go do what you want to do 

Gerome- Mom 

Kristina- You ether put away the magic act or you leave, it's your choice and I hope that for as smart as you are you make the right decision 

With a silence that cut through the air the conversation was done. Kristina left Gerome's bedroom. Gerome sank to the floor only to watch his brother and father walk past his door way , clearly they were listening.


	4. Sleep on It

Monday morning in the shared apartment of Tio and Rod was welcomed with grunts and moans of displeasure. Tio had an alarm for five thirty. Rod on the other hand worked from home so he didn't have a set time to rise. Tio being the furthest from a morning person denied his roommate the privilege of sleeping in with a simple flick of a light switch. Perhaps Tio would let his beloved friend sleep in but they shared a bedroom. The lights would most likely have come on one way or another. 

Rod- come on man , let me have just one day to sleep in

Tio- you'd sleep half the day away if I didn't wake you 

Rod- and whats so wrong about that

Rod got out of bed groggy and dissatisfied with his roommates unwillingness to allow him to stay in the peace known as sleep. As usual they both entered the bathroom where Rod stripped out of his under clothes and got into the shower. Tio brushed his teeth as he waited for his turn in the water. His roommate stood just inches away exposed. It was a usual routine and yet something felt wrong to Tio. Before his secret was out he felt no guilt for seeing Rod exposed , but now that he knew his friend knew him better he thought his sight was a perverted invasion of privacy. 

Tio- so this doesn't freak you out 

Rod- what 

Tio- how I can see you naked 

Rod- we've seen each other naked for the past 4 years at least every other day 

Tio- yea but now that you know I'm... 

He stopped to spit before continuing. 

Tio- now that you know I'm gay 

Rod- I've known for a while man , but if its a big deal for you now your more than welcome to step outside until I'm done 

They finished their morning routines of bathing, getting dressed, and ready for work all in rather close quarters every morning. Their apartment was small and left little room to be shy while getting dressed.  
With time to spare before needing to catch the bus for work Tio joined Rod for breakfast in the kitchen. Rod created yet another culinary disaster and served it to Tio on a plate. The unnamed concoction dripped and smelled of smoke too strong to lift with a fork without retching. 

Tio- how do you eat this stuff

Rod- they made worse food on the island 

Tio- better than the island is a low standard 

Rod- suit yourself man more for me

For all the shallow and unjustified stereo types about monkeys that one might know Rod did not help disprove any when eating. Tio could only sit back and watch as his roommate engulfed the food from both plates on the table like a hurricane . He'd seen Rod's side show many times in the past but it never got old. 

Tio- I should be on my way 

Rod- yea , um before you go 

He had to take a moment to both breath and belch before continuing. Rod as blunt as he may have been , was a friend and he could read Tio like letters on a page. 

Rod- I get that Im the first person you've told about you being different and all but you I hope you know its not as big a deal as your worried it is 

Tio- Im not worried, what would I be worried about 

Rod- you kept a secret for 24 years , I understand that its a little hard to imagine you didn't need to keep it a secret 

Tio- thats really considerate of you but I cant take you serious with syrup dripping from your face 

There was a mutual laugh as Rod cleaned his face and Tio walked to the door. 

Rod- you sure you dont wanna take something with you

Tio- thanks, but its probably best that a gym teacher not have a stroke 

Rod , with food still on his face and hands , joind Tio at the door. 

Rod- whatever man but im serious you just need to stop worrying , and who knows maybe then you can tell more people

Rod opened the door and Tio stepped out. The thought of telling other people was enough to make Tio's body lock up. 

Tio- yea maybe 

Later that day across the world day two of Lock box was shaping up to be an eventful one. A hand full of contestants dropped out over night which was to be expected seeing how rare it was to have more than ten percent of contestants last longer than a week. Box 27 was caught in a heated cage match between two contestants trying to force one another out of their shared box. Box 48 was experiencing exposure to a snow storm in the mountains while box 12 was under attack by a multitude of bugs from the surrounding jungle area. While the drama between Carl and Tina was on going it wasn't enough to keep the cameras on them. 

Carl's stomach was growling and keeping him awake while Tina seemed to be taking a cat nap. Carl paced around repeatedly trying to kill time and keep his mind off of the constant flow of people passing by. Perhaps the one element that Carl did not anticipate were the eyes. He and Tina's box was located in the middle of Lobo city park , a tourist attraction known for one of the worlds largest and longest living trees. If hunger and thirst weren't enough to drive Carl away people might have been. 

Carl- Tina 

He stood over the lioness whispering to her as if he were unsure of her being awake or not. She was not, but after the sound of his voice she was. 

Carl- Tina ...Tina are you awake 

Tina- I am now , what is it 

Carl- its almost time 

Unlike the original trick in which lock box was based on , contestants were allowed special opportunity to earn food water and other amenities. It was a game show after all and and the studio couldn't very well let people literally starve themselves without giving them an opportunity to feed themselves. Every day each box would be given a riddle or trivia question to answer for the chance of earning spendable money. Contestants could use said money to buy anything they want as long as they had enough for it. In past episodes contestants saved up their multiple trivia winnings to buy things like TVs, beds , and in season 4 box 77 even went so far as to buy art to put on the walls. Carl wasn't interested in TVs or wall art , he was hungry. 

Tina- time for what 

Carl- the daily buzz 

Tina was unphased. 

Carl- have you never watched Lock Box before, its the daily trivia question

Tina- I didn't sign up for trivia 

Carl- its not mandatory 

Tina- then wake me when we hit week three 

Carl- if we answer the trivia question we can win money to buy stuff , like food and water 

Tina- I thought you prepared yourself to go the full three weeks with no food 

Carl- I did but it be dumb not to feed myself if I can 

Tina- then answer the question 

Carl- I cant 

Tina opened her eyes, the bunny boy seemed to be mid melt down. 

Tina- why not 

Carl- there are too many people , I cant think with everyone watching me 

Tina- no one is watching us 

She was right. Lock box was an international game show that had been on the air for years. Unsurprisingly enough the public had grown disinterested in watching people in big boxes who could literally sleep there way to a win. The many people who passed by Carl and Tina's box were city folk. Seeing strange and out of the ordinary things was normal for the residents of Lobo city so a big box with people inside gathered little attention. None the less Carl couldn't shake the feeling of being watched long enough to regather a level head ready for trivia. 

Carl- were supposed to be a team right ? So help me 

Tina- such a change of heart , its almost enough to make me intrested

Carl- so you'll help 

Tina - of course not , you made it clear that we are fare from on the same side so figure it out yourself 

Carl - aren't you hungry or something 

Tina- tired is more accurate, so if you dont mind 

Without any remorse or second thought she returned to her cat nap. 

Carl- fine , whatever, when I get the trivia question right and order food dont expect to eat any of "my" food

Tina- don't need it 

Needles to say Carl was less than amused with his partner's prerogative to stay uninvolved , but how could he have known she was pretending to sleep. Tina was just as hungry as Carl but lack of entertainment drew her to pressing his obvious and rather comically unhinged buttons for fun. As he stormed around having both a break down and throwing a child like tantrum Tina was silent and amused.

On the other side of town Gerome was going through his usual day of school. It was third period, chemistry. With little to know sleep on reserve Gerome was a blink away from the land of milk and honey. 

Mr.Fields- Scientists belive that before there were the many centiant species that now dominant the planet there was a super species known as humans.

As class progressed Gerome's nodding off and slight snoring became a distraction. With his seat being a relevant distance from the front of the class room it did however take Mr.Fields a moment to notice. 

Mr.Fields- Before humans there were many dominant species like dinosaurs. Its hard to say when humans took over and dinosaurs went extinct and its even harder to determine when we, the current dominant species, took over and humans went away but on your test you will need to know the general order in which each came 

With class coming to a close Mr.Fields inevitably heard Gerome. Rather than wake him Mr.Fields gave the class an assignment to work on for the remainder of class. He sat behind his desk watching the class work but especially noticing how completely knocked out Gerome was. His fellow students had laughed enough and the spectacle of loud snoring grew stale. The bell rang and finally Gerome awoke from his sleep to find Mr.Fields standing near. 

Mr.Fields- we need to talk 

Gerome- about 

His tone of voice was snarky. 

Mr.Fields-you slept through the notes and today's assignment 

Gerome began to gather his things and got to his feet . 

Gerome- Ill get the notes from online and Ill get the assignment to you before I go home 

He tried to walk away as he felt one of two things coming, a lecture or scolding. 

Mr.Fields- Gerome wait 

He hesitated but stopped just short of leaving the room in time for Mr.Fields to catch up to him. 

Gerome- I'm sorry I slept through your class 

Mr.Fields- this is becoming a pattern Gerome , every Monday its the same routine 

Gerome- It wont happen again 

Mr.Fields- I want to make something clear ,this behavior is normal for student athletes who's after school activities keep them from getting the amount of rest they need 

Gerome- Im not a student athlete 

Mr.Fields- but you are involved in after school activity that is clearly problematic , if you were a student athlete I would advise you to prioritize your time more wisely before your grades begin to dwindle 

Gerome- Ill keep that in mind 

Mr.Fields- you are one of the schools best and brightest Gerome it would be a shame for all your potential to go to waist 

Gerome- trust me I'm not waisting anything, now can I go 

It was clear that Gerome was less than intrested in anything more Mr.Fields may have had to say. 

Mr.Fields- yes, you can go now 

Gerome's next class was P.E. which was in most cases his favorite class. Along the way to the gym Gerome gathered with Sasha, a firey and energetic female panther. 

Sasha- I heard you were sleeping in class again

Gerome- from who 

Sasha- Terry told Becky who told Chris who sent a picture of you drooling on your desk to hafl a dozen people myself included 

Gerome- fun 

Sasha- how was the magic act last night 

Gerome- it was fine , nothing too special 

Sasha- I don't know how you do it 

Gerome- a magician never reveals the secrets to his tricks 

Sasha- not the tricks , Im talking about sneaking out to perform for total strangers 

Gerome- oh 

Sasha- but I guess you have to do something with your brother being who he is 

Gerome- I'm not worried about my brother, I do magic because It makes me feel good , and makes other people feel good 

Sasha- so your saying you dont like getting attention like your brother 

Gerome- Sasha 

Sasha - ok ok , but you I'm still waiting on you to add me into your act , I need some of that magic money 

Gerome- there is no act, not anymore 

Sasha- what 

They arrived late but there gym teacher,Tio, was rather lenient. The class was already running a set some of elaborate work outs as Gerome and Sasha found Tio in the bleachers watching a tv show on his phone. 

Gerome- sorry we're late Coach 

Tio never looked up from his phone. 

Tio- its fine , you can go change and hop in the work out or sit in the bleachers

Sasha- wil our grade be affected 

Tio- your here so just give me 20 push ups before you leave and your fine 

Sasha- push ups? 

Tio- sit ups 

Sasha- My paw has been hurting so 

Tio- just stay until the end of the period and youll be fine ok

He finally looked up fron his phone. 

Tio-wait , you dont have this class

Gerome pulled his friend away before she could further continue with Tio. 

Gerome- sorry coach she's with me 

Tio was sucked into his phone. Ever since the high school introduced free wifi to the campus students loved Tio's P.E class. They found it easy to get away with almost anything while he binge watched TV shows. His current show was Lock box. 

With 100 boxes and 200 contestants in all to begin with the show was already down to 130 contestants. It was time for the daily trivia question. Tio was unphased by the fact that hall his students had ceased to continue running their work out. A small portion of the class even gathered behind him to join in watching the show. The contestants received their questions and as Tio and half of his class watched his phone screen to see who would answer the trivia the phone began to ring. Tio Quickly answered the phone. It was Rod. 

Tio- nows a bad time Rod 

Rod- I know you have a class 

Tio- no I was watching lock box , you know I have money on box 16 winning this year 

Rod- your watching TV at work 

Tio- yea I have the class running a work out right now 

As he looked up and around he noticed no one was running. It took only a slight stair and hand gesture for the class to realize they had to get back to running, and they did. 

Rod- how did you get a job as a Gym teacher anyway 

Tio-the head coach of the football and basketball teams wont teach P.E , but what did you need

Rod- you were right about breakfast this morning its killing me and the restroom and I have a package I need delivered 

Tio- I'm working I cant deliver a package for you right now 

Rod- I thought you said you were watching TV 

Tio- I cant do it , If I leave students alone I'll get in trouble with my boss 

Rod- cant you do it on your lunch break or something 

Tio- how would I even get back home , you know I take the bus to work 

Rod- Ill call a friend to drive you 

Tio- why not have your friend deliver the package then

Rod- because I don't trust him like I do you , now will you please deliver my package 

Tio- if I say yes will you let me get back to my show 

Rod- hey I'm the one who got you into Lock box 

Tio hung up the phone.


	5. Work Day

As the day came to a midway Tio proceeded to fulfill his roommates request. Picked up by Adrian, a young deer driving a town car, Tio was on his way to deliver the aforementioned package. 

Adrian- So what's in the package 

Tio- I don't know, it's just a bunch of papers

Adrian- I could have delivered a few a papers 

Tio- That's what I said

Tio set the small box of papers in the backseat freeing his hands to take out his phone and continue watching Lock box. Carl and Tina had received their trivia question and it seemed they also gave an answer to it. 

Carl- Are you fucking kidding me 

Tina- What's the matter 

Carl- You said you were staying out of it 

Tina- like how you said you didn't want to be partners 

Carl- You can't eat all of that food by yourself 

Tina- Can, and will

Tio turned off his phone before putting it in his pocket. 

Tio- Dang

Adrian- what's wrong 

Tio- nothing, I just missed a part of a show I was watching , what's your name again 

Adrian- its Adrian 

Tio- How do you know Rod, I mean I'm his roommate and I've never heard of or seen you before 

Adrian- Rod and I work for the same agency 

Tio- So your coworkers 

Adrian- something like that, do you know why Rod works from home ?

Tio- I assumed because he wants to, and because he's allowed to

Adrian- "Allowed" isn't the right word "need" fits better 

Tio- He needs to work from home? 

Adrian- We all do , our boss likes to pit everyone against each other to make us work harder 

Tio- And working from home makes people more competitive 

Adrian- we have a building downtown that everyone could work out of, but with everyday work turned into competition no one trust anyone not to steal work 

Tio- So everyone works from home so that no one can steal their work 

Adrian- Yes, but like I said "I could have delivered a few papers"

Meanwhile it was lunch time for Gerome and Sasha. Unlike most students who ate in the cafeteria or outside on the lawn of the school, Gerome and Sasha ate in the theater. Theater class and many other art classes had long been terminated leaving the theater to rout away. But there were those who kept it in order and faught to bring it back to life. Where Gerome may not have worked on the upkeep of the building he often found himself marveling in how the students kept something put to death so alive for so long. 

Sasha- You can't just give up 

Gerome- I have to , at least for now 

Sasha- You say all the time that you make good money, real money, so why not move out 

Gerome- Your kidding right, I don't know the first thing about living on my own, I'm still in High school, and as much as I hate my family I don't want to lose them all together 

Sasha- Well you have to do something, something other than giving up 

Gerome- Easier said than done 

Sasha- But it can be done 

Gerome- Yea well when you figure out how let me know, but until then I'm putting magic on hold 

Sasha- Look around you Gerome, look at this theater

Gerome- I see it , I see it every day from 12 to 12:30 

Sasha- This place was supposed to be torn down months ago, but it's still up and running 

Gerome- The seats are coming apart and there's a hole in the ceiling 

Sasha- I know you see what I do , it's why you eat here, the school said it wouldn't pay to keep this place up so the students took over 

Gerome- So what , you think because a bunch of kids can keep a building from falling apart I can somehow live on my own

Sasha- no one knew what they were doing when we first started saving this place but little by little we've moved towards something , and you can do the same 

Gerome- Sasha it's not that easy 

Sasha- It's not supposed to be easy , dreams are called dreams because they take more than reality but your smart creative and can figure things out if you try , I'm not saying move out on your own but try something 

Somewhere in New Town Tio and Adrian were driving along. Tio had dropped off Rod's package meaning business was taken care of. 

Adrian- All done?

Tio- yea , All done

Adrian- Nice , so where to next 

Tio- I need to get back to the high school 

Adrian- that's right you work as a gym teacher 

Tio- Yea 

Adrian- What's that like , working with kids 

Tio- Well I don't coach any of the teams or teach anything like math or history so the kids love me 

Adrian- That's good , my mother was a school teacher ,she said the best parts of her life were teaching children 

Tio- Sounds like a nice woman 

Adrian- She was a ball busting witch 

Tio- Oh 

Adrian- yes but I suppose she had her days , I wish she could have met my kids before she passed away 

Tio- I'm sorry 

Adrian- Don't be , it's nothing you could have changed 

The car ride became silent and isolated as conversations tend to do after the mentioning of deceased family. 

Tio- So you have kids 

Adrian- What , no , not yet 

Tio- I thought you wanted your mom to meet your kids

Adrian- Yes when I eventually adopt them 

Tio- Adopt?

Adrian- What is it

Tio- Nothing, it's just...

Adrian- Just what 

Tio was hesitant to continue. 

Tio-You don't hear people talk about wanting to adopt kids very often 

Adrian- It's ether adopt or nothing

Tio- planning to marry outside your species

Adrian- Maybe 

Tio- They have ways of making it work , there are commercials and everything about how to have kids when your different species 

Adrian gave a laugh under his voice as he spoke.

Adrian- If you must know , I'm going to adopt because I can't have kids with a woman, I won't, because I'm gay 

Tio- Oh 

Again came the silence only this time out of embarrassment. 

Adrian- I know that's a red button for some people 

Tio- no , it's not for me 

Adrian- I know you and Rod are from an island where that sort of thing isn't exactly 

Tio- No no , it's fine with me , fine with me and Rod 

Adrian- Yes well, we're here 

Tio felt the awkward pause as he searched for something to say. 

Tio- Thank you for the ride

The embarrassed primate exited the car but before he could walk away the window began to role down. 

Adrian- you should call me sometime 

Tio-Call you 

Adrian- If you want to , you seem like a nice monkey 

Tio- You seem like a nice deer and I'm sorry for all the questions 

Adrian- It's alright as long as I get to ask you a few next time

Adrian rolled his window up before driving away and Tio entered the school. 

Later that evening after school Gerome went home. As he walked through the front door he saw that his brother was in the living room watching TV. The two said nothing to one another until the TV went to a Commercial and Josh knew he had to say something. He got up from the couch thinking his brother was in the kitchen only to find that he'd moved to another room already. He went upstairs following what he thought were sounds of Gerome's foot steps on the wood boards. He couldn't seem to find his brother until he turned around to go back down the stairs right as Gerome was walking up. 

Josh- Was that magic stuff or something 

Gerome- What 

Josh- All the disappearing and ... never mind, Your home early 

Gerome- So are you 

Josh- It's off season, don't you do tricks for people after school 

Gerome - I'm taking a break for a while 

Josh- Oh 

Josh stepped to the side letting his brother walk up the stairs before following him back to his room. 

Josh- It's probably for the best bro

Gerome- really

Josh- Yea , magic is dangerous 

Gerome- Magic is dangerous? How 

Josh- Sawing people in half , and locking your self inside stuff 

Gerome- I don't do that , I do close up magic, with cards and stuff 

Josh- It's OK that your not good enough to do the big stuff yet

Gerome- That's like saying I fight fires because I'm not good enough to catch criminals , it's two completely different things 

Gerome tried to slam his door shut but his brother stopped it before it could even move. 

Josh- Dude I'm not trying to fight with you , just chill 

Gerome- I am chill 

Josh- Smartest kid in school and you can't tell when someone is joking with you

Josh pushed his way into his brothers room then went a step further by laying in his bed. 

Gerome- It wasn't funny 

Josh- fair enough, but talk to me bro

Gerome- Talk to you , we don't have anything to talk about 

He tried to pull his brother from his bed but Josh pulled him into the bed forcing them to lay next to one another. 

Gerome- I hate you 

Josh- I know you do , but talk to me 

Gerome- Fine , it just doesn't make any sense 

Josh- what doesn't 

Gerome- how can mom be OK with you playing football but I can't do magic 

Josh- Come on bro your smart enough to know why , I play for our school at games that have rules and regulations and security siting in the stands 

Josh finally let his brother sit up. 

Josh- but you perform late at night on school nights in parts of town that are more than dangerous 

Gerome- I know but 

Josh- No one likes telling you to put your dream on hold but can you really blame mom for cracking down on you

Gerome- No ... but ... 

He found himself realizing what he already knew , his actions were less than level with his skills and intelligence. 

Gerome- for a dumb jock your a lot smarter than you look 

Josh- And for a magic nerd your not as dumb as you act sometimes , you just need to think things through more 

Gerome- But I have , I know that if I perform I'll be picked up by a talent scout and eventually get my own gigs doing real shows 

Josh- that's not really thinking things through, that's more like hopping a plan works out 

Gerome- its not an exact science but I'm working my odds 

Josh- you gotta think about the small stuff kinda like you do at school , you need to keep yourself safe when you do your act , and where you do your act matters so you can be sure the right people see you and the wrong people don't 

Gerome- You know mom would kill us both if she knew you were helping me 

Josh got up from his brothers bed before walking to the door. 

Josh- I'm not helping you , I'm just throwing a few ideas out , and if you happen to listen then what's the harm 

He started to leave. 

Gerome- Wait

He stopped in his tracks turning back around.

Gerome- So you don't think I should stop 

Josh- I think if you figure out a way to do your thing somewhere less dangerous and not so late at night maybe mom will come around 

Gerome- Yea? 

Josh- Yea

Gerome- I hate you so much some times , but your not all bad

Josh- I hate you too bro , but I love you just enough not to pee over you while you sleep 

Josh left his brothers room with a laugh. 

Gerome- That's fucked up

From down the hallway he responded back before returning to the tv downstairs.

Josh- If you think so then I guess you don't remember when we had bunk beds and you slept on top


	6. Monday Nights

Tio made it home late that night. He was kept after school by a faculty meeting that didn't involve his department but the principle felt the need to include all faculty . As he walked through the front door Rod seemed to be leaving the bathroom. Tio had a question on his mind but he felt it ridiculous to think his friend capable of being thought out enough to do what he suspected. 

Tio- did you just come out of the bathroom 

Rod- yea , I wouldn't go in there for a while 

Tio found a spot on the couch and sank into it with a sigh of relief. His breath was cut short by Rod's jumping into the seat beside him on the couch. He wanted so badly to ask the question and the longer it took him to spit it out the heavier it grew on his tongue but harder it became to open his lips.

Rod-long day? 

Tio- a kid threw up during a workout , the math department is under investigation for missing light bulbs, and I missed most of Lock Box 

Rod- I dont get how you got that job man 

Tio- I turned on the island voice , people love a guy from the islands 

Rod- that cant work for everything

Tio- it doesn't, but it works enough

Rod began to stand but before he could get to his feet Tio continued. He spit it out.

Tio- Did you set me up to meet Adrian because he's gay 

Rod- what?! 

Tio- did you ask me to deliver your package so I'd meet Adrian 

Rod- man that's crazy, why would I do that 

Tio- I don't know but it's strange that after I tell you I'm gay you needed me to drop off a package and you called another gay guy to drive me 

Rod-if I wanted to set you up I'd have hooked myself up with someone too 

Tio- So you really had no idea 

Rod- That he was gay , yea I knew 

Tio- So you did set me up 

Rod- look man no one is gay or straight everyone is somewhere in between, even I've messed around a few times so Adrian being gay is just a coincidence 

Tio went silent for a moment as he seemed to have once again embarrassed himself by asking too may questions. 

Tio- The thing is, he ....

Rod- He what 

Tio- He asked me to call him

Rod- Then why don't you 

Tio- I don't know , what would we talk about

Tio felt like one of his gym students wrapped up in angst and indecision over something so simple as a phone call, but it was the implications that held the anxiety .

Rod- Does it matter, if you like the guy pick up the phone 

Tio- But I've never actually ... I've never... this is stupid, he's not even my type 

He couldn't help but feel like more of a child as he continued so he thought ,why continue? He got up from his seat and made his way to the bedroom, Rod followed behind him. 

Rod- And what's your type 

He closed the door before Rod could follow him through it. 

Tio- I don't know but he's not it 

Rod was forced to yell from through the door if he wanted to get through to his friend.

Rod- Come on this could be good for you , your first relationship with a guy that's not your best friend 

Tio- I know your trying to help , but I don't wanna talk about it 

Rod- We sleep in the same room , you gotta open up to me eventually 

Meanwhile Carl and Tina were enjoying time off air for the night. With Lock Box being world wide cameras couldn't stay on everyone at all times. 

Carl-You played me 

After Tina solved the trivia and all but rubbed her winnings in Carl's face he understood he had underestimated his supposed partner .

Tina- You played yourself, you wanted to be enemies so Ill be your enemy 

Carl- I changed my mind 

Tina- Too late for that 

Carl- I know you still have food , what will it take for you to share it with me 

Tina- Well, I'm a simple girl so I dont need much 

Carl- Come on

Tina- I suppose there is one thing you could do , but you wont like it

Carl could sense the devilish nature in her riddled choice of drawing out her request. 

Later that night Tio and Rod continued there discussion. Tio had to eventually open the door and rather than hide he thought perhaps his friend would let the conversation end as requested, he was wrong. 

Tio- No 

Rod- Come on

Tio- I can't 

Rod- You have to get out there eventually 

Tio- Can I get comfortable with you knowing I'm gay before I move on to seeing people 

Rod- So you are nervous about me knowing 

The door bell rang and it stopped Tio from blurting out anything giving in further to his friends agitation. 

Rod- did you order food

Tio- I wasn't about to let you cook

Before Tio could walk away, and he did try to walk away, Rod grabbed him by the tail pulling him to the door. They answered it. Rod got the food paying the pizza person while keeping his friend near by means of a tail grip that in the moment did not appear consensual. Then again when does someone being held in place against their will appear consensual? Rod , in his blunt and unhindered nature, unknowingly created a scene between himself and the delivery person. Tio's attempts to pull away from Rods grip only served to make the delivery man increasingly unsure of the situation . Perhaps the delivery person might have said something if not for the door being shut in his face just as quickly as it was opened . Rod dragged his friend to the kitchen setting the food on the counter, it took the delivery man a moment to decide what he'd seen was less than serious and walk away. 

With one hand Rod held Tio's tail like a leash and with his other he attacked the pizza. 

Rod- Fine so he's not your type, who is 

Tio- I don't know 

Rod- Who do you picture yourself with, what do you jack off to 

Tio- I don't know but can you let go of me 

He let go with a grin as he could tell how embarrassed his roommate was , he needed both hands to eat with anyway. 

Rod- Too much 

Tio- way too much man 

Rod- You said your still getting used to me knowing this stuff , well what better way to get over it than over a slice of pizza 

Tio- You could let me sleep 

Rod- And go to bed hungry 

He waved a slice of pizza in front of Tio's face enticingly until he grabbed it . 

Rod- Come on , I talk to you all the time about women I wanna bend over, this is your chance to let me know what your into 

Tio- And you won't judge 

Rod- When have I ever, I mean I see you naked like every morning so theirs plenty opportunity if I wanted to 

He played as if he would tug Tio's shorts down with his tail to make a point. 

Tio- Goes both ways 

Rod- exactly, so let me hear it 

As Rid and Tio had their moment so did Carl and Tina. 

Carl- There is no way in hell I'm doing that , i still have a life I wanna go back to after this 

Tina- That's fine , Ill finish the last of these chips and assorted sparkling water on my own 

Carl- Look I need this money 

Tina- We all need the money 

Carl- If I don't win ... if I don't win my life is over before it starts, I have a chance to be a part of something that would change my life but I cant even begin to afford it , this show , that prize money is my way of paying for my future without bankrupting my family

Tina- I offered you a chance to be civil 

Carl-I know , and I was being a dick 

Tina- A big one 

Carl- But I swear I dont want us to be enemies any more 

She looked over the poor rabbit as he stood holding his stomach. She had no ill will to anyone her more cold actions were only out of a search for entertainment. 

Tina- Not even a week and already your turning over leaves like fan in the woods 

Carl- What 

Tina- We can start over , Ill even share my food with you but only if you fulfill my request

Carl- But Id be embarrassing myself infront of the world 

Tina- And proving to me that your not the same rabbit with a stick up your ass as day one 

As the night grew old Tio and Rod retired to their bedroom. They covered much ground as Rod made an effort to unfilter his friend. 

Rod- I gotta be honest thats alot more than I was expecting. 

Tio- So I shouldn't have said anything 

Rod- no , its just a lot

Tio- what part 

Rod- I dont know , you said you wanted a guy that you can relate to , has a sense of, and is good in bed , that sounds like me 

Tio- ha ha 

Rod- I'm serious, have you ever thought about what it be like if we dated 

Tio- what , no 

Rod- I mean we already live together, we grew up together, and we've seen each other naked enough that I could draw your balls from memory 

Tio- Rod I'd never be into you like that 

Rod- that hurts man

Tio- your screwing with me aren't you 

Rod- course I am 

It was a valid question. After all of their talking and opening up Tio's ideal relationship seemed to be one similar to that of what he already had with Rod. They both realized the reality as the silence in their conversation stretched on. Joke or not , what was said could not be taken out of the air. 

Tio- its getting late 

Rod- yea , thanks for opening up man 

Tio- thanks for being... 

Rod- cool, awesome, best friend anyone could ever ask for 

Tio- sure we can go with that 

Tio gave a laugh perhaps trying to kill the awkward tension . They went silent and finally drifted off to sleep.


	7. Before the Storm

It was a week later. Tio and rod had grown more comfortable with there new open book friendship. Gerome had taken the time to think through his next move. Carl and Tina were finally on the same side. 

Tio and Rod were out and about. On their way to a bar in the inner-city to catch a game with a group of friends. Tio found himself regretting parts of his new level of trust between himself and Rod . Just two days prior to the current Tio thought he could trust his friend to help him overcome his fear of revealing his secret , so much so that he gave his roommate the authority to set him on a date. He thought if his friend helped him find someone maybe he could grow into a new phase of himself. 

Rod- What about that guy 

Tio- No 

Rod- That guy 

Tio- No 

Rod- Come on I'd fuck that guy 

Tio- Rod if were gonna do this It would help if you didn't try to set me up with every guy we pass on the street... and if we didn't do this on the way to meet everyone 

Rod- I'm joking , I know you wont click with just anyone , that's why I've already set up your first date 

Tio- What , when 

Rod- I did it last night , I've been waiting on a chance to set you up with someone, that way I wont feel bad the next time I kick you out of our room to spend time with whoever I'm with 

Tio- Who is he 

Rod- He's a monkey

Tio- That's not too important 

Inter-species relationships were far from unusual, but to many it was easier to date someone closer to them in that way. There were few instances in which species would not date one another over the issue. For example felines and canines would rarely date. But there were also instances in which species would date for similar reasons. Monkeys and rabbits, or zebras and stallions were only a few examples of Inter-species pairings that seemed to be favored and explored regularly. But ether way no one really knew why specific parings felt right or wrong , they just did or didn't. 

Rod- Sure its not

Tio- Its not 

Rod- Sure but you don't mind 

Tio- Rod come on 

Rod- Ok, Ok , he grew up in the city so he's a little rough around the edges 

Tio- you don't think you calling someone rough around the edges is a little ironic 

Rod- He builds furniture for a living 

Tio- Furniture? Like tables and chairs

Rod- Yea , hes really good at it , I think he won some kind of fancy award 

Tio- Whats his name 

Rod- Savage 

Tio- Savage? What kind of name is Savage 

Rod- We grew up with guys named Sky Dragon and Water Leg

Tio- Yea but "Savage"

Rod- Give him a chance 

Tio- we shouldn't be talking about this right now anyway

Rod- you know I took it well , maybe every one else will too 

Tio- I'm not ready to tell anyone else 

Rod- alright, but I think they could take it 

Tio- maybe, but I couldn't, not now 

While Rod and Tio joined their friends Gerome and Sasha were on their way to city hall. 

Sasha-I don't understand , your saying your not doing magic anymore but your scheduling your next performance

Gerome- I can't do tricks down town anymore 

Sasha- Then where will you do tricks 

Gerome- I'm not doing tricks anymore 

Sasha- Your not making any sense 

Gerome- I'm putting on a show , you just have to trust that I know what I'm doing 

Sasha- And what exactly are you doing 

Gerome- The school shut down the old theater months ago and the only reason the city hasn't torn it down yet is because students have been keeping it running , but that wont be enough to keep it up forever 

Sasha- So 

Gerome- So , I'm going to use the theater to put on a show , Ill raise money by charging an entry fee and whatever I make I'll use to pay the city to keep the theater open

Sasha- But why go through all the trouble of running a scheme like this, do you even know how to make any of this happen 

Gerome- By saving the theater I'm giving myself a place to do magic , a place that my mom wont be scared of , it wont be easy but like you said "I have to do something" 

Sasha- Well I'm glad you listened for once

Gerome- Trying to , but I still have to run this by the city and then convince the school to help me put on the show 

As Gerome and Sasha made it to city hall Carl and Tina were on air, but not live. The show was stunned when Carl went in front of a camera and humiliated himself. He promised his partner half the winnings if he won and all but proclaimed her to be a queen that he was unworthy of. They've ran the clip almost every hour since it was captured without giving any sign of it going away. 

Carl- I cant believe you made me embarrass myself on live TV

Tina- You wanted to be on the same side so you had to prove it 

Carl- I don't know If I can make it through another week of this , people keep coming by just to make fun of me 

Tina- Tune them out 

Carl- The hard part is supposed to be getting over being isolated, being hungry, and facing the elements, not ass holes coming by to heckle me 

Tina- You give them more power when you listen 

Carl- I gave them more power when I made a fool of myself, and for what , we haven't gotten a single trivia question in days , and I feel like my stomach is literally eating itself 

Tina- so dramatic, I thought you needed the money, I thought you had hopes and dreams to fund 

She was mocking him or perhaps her tone was simply too light for the words she used. 

Carl- its not funny, this wasn't supposed to be this hard 

Tina- no one gives money out without making you earn it first, more than half of the other contestants have dropped out if you give up now I guess your dreams weren't really worth it 

Carl- I don't get you , one minute your trying to be my friend and the next your making me humiliate myself 

Tina- you got what you deserved , I could be much worse bunny boy 

Carl - why do you even want the money, why are you here , or are you just in it to mind fuck people 

Tina- does it matter 

Carl- yes , of course it matters, otherwise your just a crazy person subjecting yourself to what is becoming a corner of hell


	8. End Of Episode 1

End Of Episode 1


End file.
